We have been advised by the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) to provide guidance for coronavirus (COVID-19) and funerals.

We are adhering to this code of practice so that we can protect families and staff.

The current message for funerals

The current message from the Government is that funerals should continue, but take into account all of the guidelines issued for minimising the risk of transmission.

This includes the need:

– to protect at-risk groups

– to avoid large gatherings of people

– for good hand hygiene

– to avoid unnecessary physical contact.

This will help to protect:

– those attending funerals

– funeral home employees

– crematorium and cemetery employees

It is vital that the funeral home, crematorium and cemetery employees remain healthy and able to work at this critical time.

The steps that are being taken to protect people

Depending on the degree of risk, measures that have been recommended by the National Association of Funeral Directors in conjunction with the Department of Health are as follows:

– We will take steps to ensure all initial contact with the family (e.g. the arrangement meeting) is conducted remotely, via telephone or video link. We will assess whether they are in the Government-advised 14-day household isolation period and what effect that will have on the timings of the funeral service.

– Our staff will only physically meet with family members if we are satisfied that doing so is consistent with government advice. As mentioned above, current advice is that members of the same household as an infected person or someone showing symptoms should self-isolate for 14 days before coming into contact with anyone else.

We have been made aware that the current laws on social distancing in respect of Wales are to be amended from Tuesday 7th April 2020.

The new regulations only allow those to attend a funeral if:

• they are the person organising the funeral,

• they have been invited to the funeral, or

• they are the carer of a person who is attending the funeral (either because they are the organiser or they have been invited).

Everyone attending a funeral – whether at a crematorium, place of worship or cemetery – should take all reasonable measures to stay 2 metres away from someone they don’t live with or care for. This will help to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

The need to maintain 2 metres between people means the number of people who will be able to attend a funeral will be limited. .

In light of the this and in applying this rule, we have determined that the maximum number who will be able to attend a funeral is 10 (Margam 15) and we would again ask for your assistance in trying to ensure that mourners are sat at least 2 metres apart

– Anyone who is experiencing symptoms, such as a dry cough or fever (or lives with someone experiencing such symptoms) should be self-isolating, and we will underline this with our clients to ensure that anyone experiencing symptoms refrains from attending.

– In the case of a burial, we will talk to the family about the possibility of an outdoor service.

– We will consider not having donation boxes at the funeral, but encouraging clients to use an online platform such as memorygiving.com.

– We will consider asking clients to use their own transport where possible and may even wish to consider ceasing limousine hire for the time being, as it can be the place where longest period of time is spent in close proximity to clients.

– We will consider allowing only very close family members to a viewing on our premises.

– Anyone at the high-risk category who has been contacted by the NHS to stay at home should refrain from attending.

Following these guidelines will ensure that everyone remains protected and we’d like to thank you for your support during this challenging time.

If you haven’t got time to read the whole Covid 19 Advice Blog, or you’d simply like a copy then its available as a PDF download.